Category: Guard Sweep

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How To Do A Closed Guard Elevator Sweep

The closed guard is an advantageous position in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which may come as a surprise to many inexperienced fighters or wrestlers. By using the closed guard, the bottom fighter can control the top fighter’s hips, mitigating their ability to throw punches and keeping them from making any moves to better their position. 

While there are many attacks from the guard, in MMA or a street fight or against a larger, stronger opponent you might have trouble using the guard as an attacking position. For those situations, or if you just want to make your opponent have to deal with your weight on top of them to tire them out, sweeps are an essential tool in any BJJ fighter’s arsenal.

Sweeps are methods of moving from one position in BJJ to a better one by using body mechanics and balance rather than brute strength, so even a smaller opponent can sweep the largest fighter. If you look around your gym, you’ll regularly see small, average looking higher belts who look like they wouldn’t win a fight sweeping much larger and stronger white belts who don’t know what’s coming.

Sweeps are such an important part of any guard game that even though the Gracie family preaches the power of the guard, there are five different sweeps in the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt requirements. 

The elevator sweep is a powerful sweep that uses an opponent’s strength and momentum against them. When an opponent is in your guard and pushing you to the ground, you may feel helpless and frustrated because you aren’t able to attempt an arm bar from guard or a triangle from guard. But don’t despair, that forward push that is smashing you into the mat can be redirected to elevate (get it??) your opponent over you so that you land on top, ready to push your own agenda. Using an opponent’s plan against them is one of the joys of BJJ!

Start: Guard with opponent pushing down onto you with one leg posted

Step 1: Drop one foot onto opponent’s posted leg (this will be elevator side) and shrimp out to that side

Step 2: Swim elevator-side foot to underneath opponent’s thigh and flex toes to hook

Step 3: Underhook elevator-side arm

Step 4: Drop chopping-side foot to opponent’s knee and pull knee in towards you

Step 5: Punch elevator-side arm up and across

Step 6: Lift opponent with elevator foot and follow their body as it falls over you

End: Mount via elevator sweep

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How To Do an Arm Drag From Guard in BJJ

The closed guard is an incredibly versatile position. It’s the hallmark of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since the closed guard is where a smaller fighter might find themselves when in a street fight and allows a whole spectrum of submissions. That’s why the closed guard is considered an advantageous position in BJJ. 

But the closed guard can be frustrating for new Jiu Jitsu fighters. Chances are you’re going to get passed, your opponent will wear you out with pressure from above (particularly if it is another new BJJ fighter using strength more than technique) or your submission attempts will fail and you’ll get passed. 

The arm drag sweep from closed guard is an option that makes playing guard less scary. It allows you to attempt a sweep without abandoning your position, it is pretty simple, and since it takes advantage of an isolated arm it can be strung together with arm bar attempts to keep your opponent on the defensive.

This sweep works in both gi or no gi BJJ, and this video by BJJ Fanatics shows Gordon Ryan teaching the arm drag in no gi.

Start: Closed guard

Step 1: Get a two-on-one grip on opponent’s arm with your same-side arm on their wrist and your cross-side hand underneath their arm and behind their tricep

Step 2: Pull opponent’s body into you with your knees, 

Step 3: Lift your cross-side elbow off of your stomach and slide opponent’s trapped hand under your elbow, trapping it there

Step 4: Reach your same-side hand over opponent’s back and grip their lat

Step 5: Switch onto your opposite-side hip

Step 6: Pendulum your same-side leg up and use that momentum to sit up into

Opponent, pointing your chest at them and maintaining the grip on their tricep to prevent them posturing up

Step 7: Use the grip on their lat to climb onto their back

Finish: Back control

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How To Get a BJJ Blue Belt – The Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt Requirements

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), getting a blue belt is one of the first major milestone accomplishments in your grappling career. It’s a sign that you have really learned BJJ to the point that you’re not a beginner anymore. Of course, your road is still very long, but it is a great accomplishment and one that most white belts are focused on in their grappling training.

A major problem for white belts is a lack of information on what you need to know to get your blue belt. Luckily, Gracie University Jiu Jitsu has published the basic requirements needed to be eligible for a BJJ Blue Belt in their system. This isn’t a checklist that guarantees you a blue belt (if you’re that desperate, you can always just buy a blue belt but that’s not really the point) but it is a list of the basic knowledge expectations for someone looking to get a BJJ blue belt.

Mount Techniques

There are four sections to the Gracie BJJ Blue Belt test: Mount Techniques, Guard Techniques, Side Mount Techniques, and Standing Techniques.